Semana de Bendiciones!‏ (week blessings) (Week 77)

Dearest Family,

This week was really amazing! I am learning to love more the people I work with and recognize the tender mercies and bendiciones (blessings). The Lord has blessed me tremendously this week in many small ways.
I saw so many blessings this week:

- We did service and cut grass
- We did 2 sets of divisions
- We had a zone activity
- I saw Jimena while in Ituzaingo 4
- We felt the spirit as we visited investigadores, less actives, and members
- I am learning to love the people even more
- I have the best companion!
- WE saw a baptism and it was the most pretty. The confirmation on Sunday was so spiritual as well.
- I saw queridos amigos (dear friends) from Padua
- I can always feel the Love of my Savior
- The Lord puts us where we need to be when we need to be there

Have a fantastic week!
Con amor,
Hermana Burr

Fasting for a Reference (Week 76)

Family,

This week we had special trainings and interviews. It was so great!

I would like to share an experience. This past week we had fast Sunday. Hermana Cespedes and I decided to fast to thank the Lord for the blessings He has given us and is currently giving us. During the fast a member called us to give us a reference. We felt greatly blessed. I learned that as we are conscious of the Lord and His hand in our lives He in turn blesses us with more than we can even imagine.

This week I studied a bit about repentance and forgiveness. Here is a scripture that helped me raise my testimony. DyC 10:47. I know that God loves us. Because He loves us He sent His only begotten son, our Savior Jesucristo, to this world so that we can repent and change. We receive forgiveness according to our faith in Him. As our love for Him grows stronger we have a desire to repent and live more in harmony with his teachings and to love our neighbors. I know that this is the only true gospel of Cristo. This is the only church where you find His power and authority to act in His name for the salvation for souls.

Have a fantastic week!
Con amor,
Hermana Burr

Hermana Allen, (Hailey’s friend, MTC companion, and serving in the same final area together) had to fly home the end of last week for a family emergency.  Our prayers are with her and her family.  She was an amazing example to Hailey and she loved her dearly.  Hermana Allen was the sister training leader for the zone.  Now that she is gone, President Robertson made a few changes and a member from Hailey’s ward is serving as a mini missionary in her place.  Now Hailey and her companion are sister training leaders for the zone.

Sweater Weather (Week 75)

Dearest Loved Family,

Well the weather is cooling off and today I officially put a sweater on for the first time this year! My companion had her birthday this week! She turned 24! We celebrated her birthday by finding new people to teach, it was a great day!

This week we had divisiones. Hermana Chineppe came to Ituzaingo 2B with me. I really enjoyed the divisiones because I could learn a lot from Hermana Chineppe. I learned a lot about looking for the specks of Gold that we have every day and how to recognize the small blessings that come from the Lord.

This week we found a new Mariana. She is juntada and had a little baby. She accepted a fecha for the 23 of May. We visited her with a member later in the week and she was acting kind of weird that day. Then when we saw her in the street later in the week with her pareja he wasn’t very friendly. We did divisiones with the members Sunday and Hermana Cespedes went to find her for church and she couldn’t come. We know that there are problems with her pareja and we think he is impeding her from progressing so we want to try and get to know him this week and see if we can help them together.

We received a referral from the bishop named Noelia. She is the daughter of a less active and she just had a baby. She wants to bless her baby. She is not a member and she wants to go to church and accepted to listen to the charlas. WE visited her this week. We are going to teach her in the house of a member this week.

We are working with an inactive member named Luci. She is 22. Her parents just reactivated. When I was with Hermana Chineppe we were able to understand her doubts and she committed to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. She was really sincere in her commitment. The next time we passed by she had a new light in her eyes! Yesterday when we visited her she committed to come to church this coming Sunday. We asked her why she was going to come and she said because she feels the need to go. (Which is amazing because before she said she doesn’t like going to church cause she doesn’t feel anything and there is no point to go and sit there just to fill a seat). I know that I can trust in the Lords promise that when one asks with sincere intent that He answers.

Oh I almost forgot, on Saturday we moved! What a blessing, our new pench is spacious, has a spiritual environment, and is super safe! We love it so so so mucho! Moving reminded me of all the times that our family moved, it made me smile!

Con amor,
Hermana Burr

A family that we love!

Hermana Cespedes and lunch during moving

>He Knows Me Better< (Week 74)

Family,

How are you all? I am so happy to be with my companion and to be here in Ituzaingo 2! I have learned a lot this week and have felt the love of the Lord so strongly in my life.

I will admit, last week I was not too enthused about going to Ituzaingo. But I learned a grand lesson this week about how the Lord knows me and where I need to be. He knows me better than I know myself. When we got to our area the first day we were looking in the carpeta de area and we saw a registro of names that I recognized from Padua where I started my mission. I immediately felt the Love of my Savior and knew that being here in this area is a huge blessing for me. We are teaching an investigador that I had taught when I started my mission, Luis. His wife, Andrea, is a member. They are not legally married but want to be married and Luis has made the decision to be baptized. Luis had been waiting for his divorce to go through for about two years now. The papers went though and they are just waiting on a background check from his work and they can sacar un turno and be married. I am praying that this process can finish before I go home in May. But if not it is a blessing just to be teaching them again.

This week I finished reading the Book of Mormon out loud. I feel so blessed that the Lord helped me complete my goal of finishing it before the conference. After I finished reading I knelt down to ask my Father in Heaven once again if the Book of Mormon is true. He always answers and when we do this as members it strengthens our testimony. While I was on my knees I had the impression that I would get my answer while listening to general conference. While I was watching conference I received my reaffirming answer that the Book of Mormon is true. My favorite talks from conference were from Pres. Uchtdorf and Elder Holland.

Have a fantastic week!
Con amor,
Hermana Burr

General Conference April 2016

Hermana Burr carrying her mattress down the street!

Hermana Cespedes with her mattress!

A donde me mandes iré :) (To send me where I go)‏ (Week 73)

Family,

This week president called and told me that I was going to finish my mission in Parque Leloir A. The next day I went to Hurling to pack my bags and took them to Parque. That same day he called again and said that my companion, Hermana Cespedes and I were both going to leave the area and we are going to open an area together! We are going to the area Ituzaingo 2B! Hermana Cespedes is from Bolivia and finishes her mission one transfer after I do.

I had a wonderful Easter! I love this time cause we remember Christ. I love these scriptures: Mosiah 3:7-12. We saw so many Easter miracles some of which include but are not limited to the following.

Rodrigo- we had a great lesson about the pascua (Easter) yesterday. He has doubts about tithing but after the lesson he committed to pray to know if he needs to pay his tithing. I know he will receive his answer.

David Garcia- he says he doesn't want to be pressured. He told us that he did not pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. Yesterday we shared some scriptures about Cristo for Easter. We asked him to think of 3 things that he is going to do this week to accept Cristo and show Him thanks. He said that every day he is going to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. I know that he felt the spirit and that it was the spirit that told him what he needs to do.

Yesterday Mercedes, an inactive member told us that she wants her 10 year old daughter to be baptized. This is what she and her family need to reactivate and stay strong in the church.
I know that the Lord has his timing and even though i don't understand it sometimes He knows what is better for each one of us.

Luis- This week in Parque there was a lot of things happening with the baptism of Luis. We talked to him and he agreed with us that it would be best to postpone his baptism cause his parents didn't want him to get baptized and there wasn't peace in their home. He is going to stay strong and be patient.

Have a fantastic week!
Con amor,
Hermana Burr

Easter eggs and name tags!

Surprises, a Work Trip, and First Day of Fall! (Week 72)

Dearest Family,

Wow what a crazy week! Wednesday morning I got a phone call from President Robertson and he told me that he needed me to pack a suit case for a week. There are two hermanas that have hurt knees and can’t work so president put me in one of their spots so that I can work with her companion. They have progressing investigadores and needed to have missionaries working. So now I am in Parque Leoir A! I am working with Hermana Mattinson.

They have bikes here and that made me so so so happy! But guess what, Friday morning when we woke up someone had robbed our bikes during the night! What a surprise. The pench here is a house with a tall fence around it. They leave the bikes outside but someone had busted open the gate and robbed the bikes during the night. We didn’t hear anything because there was a big rain storm. But we were protected by the hand of the Lord and they didn’t try to enter into the house. So all is well! We just have to walk and take the colectivo (bus) for a few days till we can get new bikes.

Something that strengthened my faith this week is when we were going home. We needed to take the colectivo really quickly so that we could get home on time. Hermana Mattinson and I said a prayer that a colectivo would pass by really soon so that we could get home on time and be obedient with the schedule. Before we even finished the prayer a colectivo stopped right in front of us and we were able to get home on time. We then thanked our Father in Heaven in prayer for answering our prayer.  I know the Lord is conscious of us and our needs and that He hears and answers our prayer when we pray in faith.  

We have been working with Luis. He is a progressing investigador. He had his baptisimal interview on Saturday and passed. He had a few doubts because his family doesn’t like the idea of him being baptized, but he is going to continue with his decision, He has a lot of faith and is acting on what he knows is right.  But I know that the Lord will provide for him as he obeys the commandments. This week we are going to fortalecerle (strengthen) and help him stay strong.

This week was stake conference. It was great cause I got to see some people from my old area, Ituzaingo 4. The scripture that really stood out to me is DyC 88:119. This is the key to have a consecrated life.

Thanks for all you do! Have a fantastic week!
Con amor,
Hermana Burr

Opportunities to Serve! (Week 71)

Dearest Family,

This week we had the opportunity to do service! Yay! Our ward mission leader recently moved. They have about 100 yards out back of their house and it is full of Bamboo. So we were helping to take it out. We didn’t get it all out but it was so wonderful to finally have the opportunity for a service project! We don’t get that opportunity very often, so it was such a bit blessing. Then later that day we passed by the church and there was one sister there to clean the church all by herself, so we helped her clean! Another opportunity to do service, two big miracles in one day!

Yesterday was ward conference. One of the miracles I saw this week is that yesterday we had a full chapel for sacrament meeting. They had to bring seats into the chapel for people to sit on cause there wasn’t enough seats. Also, an inactive member came to church yesterday for the first time. His name is Enzo.  We are going to visit him and his family. Not all of them are members so we hope we will be able to teach them.

We are in the search for new people to teach. This week our beloved Cristina dropped us and we couldn’t find any of our other investigadors either. I know the Lord hastens his work in his time and as we look for ways to improve and are guided by the spirit He will lead us to those who are searching for the truth.

Have a fantastic week!
Con amor,
Hermana Burr

Broke apple with bare hands!!

Service Project

Service Project pt. 2